I just don't seem to have the time or energy for any hobbies right now. Mind you, I've got 3 children under the age of 10, and although I'm not currently working (lost my job), I'm working towards getting back into full time work.

But I've been kind of thinking about soap making, in terms of crafty soaps (like colours and swirls and shapes and stuff). So if I were to start a new hobby, that would be it.

I used to cross stitch, but that takes up so much time to finish a project, and I think it might hurt my hands and fingers if I tried it now. But maybe one day I'll try that again.

I also like rollerblading, but I don't like going out in the winter, so maybe once summer rolls around again...

I will look into the Terra cotta sculpture, but will have to wait, my hubby says I start to many things at once .

As for the Mandolin I have just started to learn to play so not ready for any demo's yet, but hopefully soon. I have a big problem with learning to play anything, although I played violin/fiddle for over 8 years I never learned how to read music, just couldn't get my head around it so I learned to play by ear. Which is all good if you have someone to play something for you first . Been on the look out for instructors in the area, and also found some decent sites on the web that I am using. Just started on some new medication today that is supposed to help my hands, so I am hopeful that it will work, and I won't get the hand cramps and tingling so bad. At the moment I can only play for short periods as my right hand starts to go to sleep then cramp up, it's like me can't stay awake too long

I decorated a whole cake the other day for a friend of mine, took some pictures, it turned out cute, but not quite what I was going for. But then I am my own worst critic The hardest thing was I made things quite small and fiddly so will need to figure out a better way of doing things or just bigger is better maybe.

I have enjoyed reading what everyone else does on this thread and the other thread, we are a creative bunch!

Our old clothes (blue jeans) are in the process of being woven into rag rugs! All those different shades of blue - very pretty~

I do have all the kit I need to make paper, but that's a warm weather hobby. I think this year I'll try putting some flakes of dried flower petals into the paper. I've planted a rose for every family member and most of our closest friends and I've been thinking about making pages for a photo album, matching the flower petals in the paper to the person the rose 'belongs' to. Could be lots of fun.

I thought I would jump in because of how much I need hobbies to guide my days. Before my symptoms became so intolerable I used to go to the gym 6 days a week, teach art, music and ballet. I loved playing the piano. Gardening was such a pleasure. Forward six years later, most of those activities are limited if not extinct. So after much feeling sorry for myself, I figured out things that I could do and have found a nice balance. I go to the Ballet as often as I can. I paint on days my hands feel ok. I read ALOT. I try to cook. I love to walk, even if the distance is short. I get together with friends (especially those with scleroderma) and we laugh! It is funny how I used to take my activities for granted but not today. I feel fortunate to be able to do those things that I can. -Ann

It sounds like you have found away to work around your condition Ann, and the rug making sounds interesting Jeannie. I am going tonight to sign up for my cake decorating course, really excited about it!

I am also working on losing weight, I have lost 3 1/2 stone so far, and in American that is 49 lbs, am munching on a nice salad as I type. I can no longer exercise like I used to as the new meds I am on make me really dizzy, so I found a DVD that has exercises from your chair, and surprisingly they give you a very good work out, although I think I over did it yesterday, my neck and shoulders were killing me all night . I have a little pedal bike that I use for lower body work out. I like to play on the Wii as well and that gives you the unknown work out, cause you are having fun then realize you are all wore out and sweaty. I have been told that I may be getting put on some steroid medication and am more than a bit worried as I have read and been told that they make you gain weight. My appointment is the end of March so am working hard to get as much weight off as I can by then so I am prepared.

I have been attempting to garden for the last two years, but I seem to get really nice plants but then nothing, I got some tomatoes last year but they never did turn red. And the one strawberry I got, when I picked it I found that it had been eaten all but the top by snails Giving it a go again this year, perhaps third time is a charm!

Hey, I did it! I have 6 little rice bowls with 'things' steeping in them to see what kind of color I can get. There are 3 different kinds of green tea (all looking quite different in the leaf), a bowl of ground pomegranate seeds that were dried first, and 2 bowls of a blueberry/acai tea - one in water and one in alcohol because I read somewhere that alcohol will extract blue colors better.

Mando, I'm not ready to dye yarn yet, but if I get anything good I'll let you know and maybe we can work out a swap. I'd really like to get into this this summer.

I promised my hubby a beef curry for supper tonight. I just hope he doesn't come home and think all the little bowls are the 'side boys' and start adding them to his plate!

I'm looking through recipes to find something for dinner tonight. I'm off to the grocery store to find basics and then something that is different. The kids complained that I'm fixing the same every week, so I've found a good source for easy recipes and I'll have to try them out.

Often I just make up recipes with what I have on hand. It is so much harder to get organized before going to the store so I end up with the right ingredients.

I haven't been able to sew or play fiddle lately. We spent Saturday plumbing in the new shower in our master bath.

Make sure to set your dyes with vinegar or salt bath after you get the color you want.

I am attempting to make my own caramel tomorrow, I love the stuff so thought I should just make my own. Been doing that a lot lately, made a batch of pickled garlic, hot pickled carrots, and some Honeycomb. The pickled items are ok, but are missing something just have to figure out what. I added dill to the garlic but I can't taste it, and it said to boil the garlic in the jar after sealing and I think that was a mistake cause now the garlic is cooked and too soft, I wanted crisp garlic! So will try again and tweek things, the carrots turned out nice, they are supposed to be like the pickled carrots you get in Mexican resturaunts in the States, but they are a tad spicey hehe. The honeycomb or Hokey Pokey turned out lovely, but I can't make it too often cause I just sit and eat it all

Jean, I'll have to see if I can get my #1 daugher (32 today, Happy Birthday, Kiddo!) to part with her pickled garlic recipe. It's crisp, crunchy and addictive~ She also makes a 'Sun Pickle' (cucumbers, garlic, dill, red chili peppers) that is fantastic. Needs to be the little summer cukes, though.

Hey Lori, my only music in months has been the listening kind, so don't feel bad~ There's a Scottish group from the Northeast of Scotland called 'Old Blind Dogs' that are very traditional and just great, so I get my fix from listening to them. Dyeing - I did scour and mordant my cotton cloth with alum but I want to try vinegar with the blueberry/acai berry one because supposedly it also helps with blue tones. Have you tried rust dyeing? I'm wondering if the innards of those little hand warm packs would work.

Hi Jeannie, that would be sooo great if she would part with her recipes! Tell her I will give proper credit hehe I have been scouring the net to find some recipes and have found a fair few, thought I could take bits from each that sound good and try those. But would love to know how you keep the garlic crisp and not cook it

I am growing my own cucumbers this year so should have some nice fresh little ones for pickling!

Another new hobby you say!, goodness gracious me
My time is all but taken I guess I'm never free
What with chasing after Goats and Geese and trying to make the tea
There's never any time left to concentrate on me
Presenting shows on the radio, is quite a novelty
See I really don't have time to concentrate on me!

My life is kind of hectic who knows where I will be
Playing songs upon the radio then coming at Three
Feeding hungry animals, life really is a spree -- and
There's never any time left to concentrate on me!

I guess my perfect hobby or where I'd like to be
Sitting at home in quiet with the cat upon my knee
Then I would have plenty of time to concentrate on me!

My hobby is reading and has been for a long time. I use to do crossword puzzles but lost interest. The latest thing I have thought of is refreshing my mind. As time goes on in retirement I find that my spelling and punctuation aren't doing very well. I plan to get some work books and get my mind and memory back on track. Something else I do is send "Thinking of You" cards to people who live by themselves or have very little contact with other people. I have always enjoyed getting cards and letters instead of e-mails and phone calls. I imagine a lot of people feel the same way. That gives me an idea!! I could make the cards!!!

Purr, your card idea is wonderful. I have a friend who makes the most wonderful cards and I have 3 of them hanging on my idea board at the moment. Then I've got another friend who started re-sending cards her friends sent her. They've turned into a round-robin way for all of us who went to school together but have since dispersed all over the world to say we still value our group friendship. I've been very fortunate to be on the receiving end of 'card love' and it turned out to have a side benefit: the post lady became one of my best-ever friends.

You get balloons too for your kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity! (The birdies are for your kitty. )

Did you know there are lots of flight training programs that are pay-as-you-go and you can also do them over a period of time? Or have you considered gliders (sailplanes). I don't mean hang gliders or microlights, but the ones that look like regular light aircraft. They're pretty economical to learn to fly and tons of fun. They also make motor-gliders and once you get the basics of handling a glider without an engine, transitioning to one with an engine isn't difficult. And, she says, getting really enthusiastic, you can switch the engine off and soar without it.

One of the happiest memories of my life (that has nothing to do with people) was flying along a ridge line in Germany one New Year's day. It was getting late in the day and there was snow on the ground, plus a bit of frost in the air. Suddenly everything turned opalescent and pearly. It was absolutely silent, just the faint rush of air over the wings. There were deer running along the ridge below me and it was like a fairy tale come true. I just can't convey in words how beautiful, spiritual, and uplifting it was.

All the replies are so positive, we make do with what we can do. My hobby at the moment, and some may doubt the validity of the word hobby here, is taking my grandchildren out for the day. I try to do this as often as I can as the two who are at school I now realise, have a great life of their own.

The 18 month old enjoys going to dancing and music for 30 minutes with me on a Thursday. Very easy, just enjoy the faces of all the little charmers (and not so charmers), the older one loves the Zoo and Science Works (luckily I have a Senior Card and get to go free) and I still have one more to last me another few years.

I feel so lucky to have all my children living within 15 minutes from my home.

Yes, I'd say having fun with grandchildren would certainly qualify as a hobby, and a wonderful one at that!

I need to confess that I gave up on my new jigsaw puzzle hobby as 1,000 pieces were about 900 too many for me to handle. It started out as fun, became obsessive for a few hours, and then dwindled down into me getting irritated because then I couldn't use the coffee table for cutting fabric. It took me several days to pronounce it dead and declare it to be nothing more than another form of clutter. I boxed it up and put it in our charity/giveaway box and feel so much better.

All I can conclude from this is that it is fun to start new hobbies and sometimes fun to give them the boot, too.

Good tips there Jeannie right now with a business to run, boating, motorcycles, and just life in general there is not any time or spare money for flying lessons. I took some lessons many years ago and got in some solo time but stopped due to time constraints. It has been something that I think about now and again particularly on a really nice day with no wind. It was fun while I did it for sure.